Mayawati's political gimmick

BSP supremo Mayawati resigned from Rajya Sabha because she was not allowed to speak on Dalits’ atrocities in Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh. Though she had few months left to complete her RS term, it was necessary for her to stage this sort of drama to retrieve Dalits’ support. UP has been her bastion. On the support of Dalits in toto, Muslims, OBCs and upper castes to some extent, she became the main political force in UP and adorned the post of Chief Ministership of the state for four times. But in the last Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati’s BSP score zero; and in the recently held UP assembly elections, her party got only 10 seats. This is one of the worst performances of BSP. It clearly reflected that her Dalit vote bank shifted to Bhatiya Janta Party that they won overwhelmingly both in Lok Sabha and assembly elections. BJP also makes one move after another to attract Dalits towards it. It has definitely made inroads into Dalit vote bank of BSP. Before the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, BJP President Amit Shah visited Dalit homes and took meal with them sitting on the ground at their homes. So, Dalits to a large extent shifted their support to BJP. In the month of April there were clashes between Dalits and upper caste people in a village in Sharahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Several Dalit hoimes were allegedly torched by the upper caste people. The clashes took place over taking out procession by Dalits to celebrate Dalit icon Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s birth anniversary. A Dalit outfit founded by a youngman Chandrashekhar Azad led the upsurge of Dalits in the area. The entire Dalits of the area rallied around him. He also organized a big protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. He was also named in Saharanpur violence, and only a few months back he was reportedly arrested. Experiencing the shifting of her vote bank to a large extent to the BJP, Mayawati has now chosen the path of resignation in protest against not allowing to speak on Dalit atrocities in Saharanpur. In the prevailing political atmosphere, a move is strongly made for opposition unity in the country against the ruling BJP at the Centre. On the issue of presidential and vice presidential elections, Mayawati has openly supported Opposition candidates for these two high constitutional posts. CBI, ED and IT raids at Lalu’s residence in Patna and other places in connection with Hotel for land scandal and at his daughter MP Misa in New Delhi, Gurgaon and other places have also brought all opposition leaders led by Congress under one Umbrella. Almost all opposition parties term raids at Lalu and his family members as political vendetta. Lalu Yadav has immediately offered a Rajya Sabha birth to Mayawati after her resignation from Bihar. As Mayawati has only 10 MLAs in UP and SP and Congress both cannot make together the required number for a Rajya Sabha seat, RJD boss Lalu Yadav offered her RS seat from Bihar. The condition of Dalits all over the country has always been bad. All the established Dalit leaders like Mayawati, Ram Vilash Paswan , Meira Kumar and several others have only been benefited themselves and their family members. But the majority of Dalits are still poor and weak. They have not been benefited even by job reservation in the last 70 years. Only those well off Dalits whose number is tiny have been benefited by the job reservation policy of the government of India. The life style of Dalit leaders like Mayawati, Ram Vilash Paswan, Meira Kumar and others is aristocratic. They lead kingly life styles in this modern age also. It also clearly appears now that the present young generation of Dalits has understood that the established political leaders in the country are cunning. They are blind to the problems of the majority of Dalits. Dalits account for 20 percent of Uttar Pradesh population. Their role becomes very significant for the political party at the time of elections. So, the young leader like Chandrashekhar has emerged. On the one hand BJP’s dent in Dalit vote bank and emergence of young Dalit leader like Chadrashekhar appear to have compelled Mayawati to take the drastic step of resigning from Rajya Sabha to retrieve her pre-imminent position among Dalit community.